The Come As You Are by Nirvana guitar tone is built on a Fender Bassman, dialed in at gain 4.5/10, bass 5.5, mid 5.5, treble 6.5, presence 5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.
🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 4.5 sits right around the rock average (4.8); mids at 5.5 are right around average (6.2).
Guitar: 1991-1992 Japanese Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar (stock pickups, modded with DiMarzio DP103 PAF 36th Anniversary neck and DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion bridge, but for 'Come As You Are' riff, likely used a Fender Mustang or Jaguar with stock single-coil neck pickup) · Amp: Fender Bassman (silverface, late 1960s/early 1970s, used in Nevermind sessions)
Neck pickup
1991-1992 Japanese Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar (stock pickups, modded with DiMarzio DP103 PAF 36th Anniversary neck and DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion bridge, but for 'Come As You Are' riff, likely used a Fender Mustang or Jaguar with stock single-coil neck pickup) → Electro-Harmonix Small Clone → Fender Bassman (silverface, late 1960s/early 1970s, used in Nevermind sessions)
chorus, reverb
watery and lush chorus modulation, dark and brooding clean timbre, slightly scooped mids, clear and articulate single-note attack, warm neck pickup character, subtle low-end thump, shimmering modulation texture, no audible overdrive or distortion, slightly compressed, focused sound, distinctive D standard tuning depth
studio
straight, medium tempo, medium dynamics · clean distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Come As You Are sound.
2/5
The riff is technically simple but requires good timing, clean alternate picking, and careful use of the chorus effect to match the iconic sound.
🎸 All Come As You Are guitar tones — every part & section →
Set your amp to roughly: gain 4.5, bass 5.5, mid 5.5, treble 6.5, presence 5, reverb 1.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.
Original gear/effects: Guitar: 1991-1992 Japanese Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar (stock pickups, modded with DiMarzio DP103 PAF 36th Anniversary neck and DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion bridge, but for 'Come As You Are' riff, likely used a Fender Mustang or Jaguar with stock single-coil neck pickup) · Amp: Fender Bassman (silverface, late 1960s/early 1970s, used in Nevermind sessions); chorus, reverb.
Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.
Start with Neck pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 4.5, bass 5.5, mid 5.5, treble 6.5, presence 5, reverb 1.5), and chorus, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.
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